The Colorado Buffaloes volleyball team has signed three incoming freshmen as their 2024 season enters the final stages. Sitting at 11-14 with only five games left, the Buffs are on the outside looking in for postseason hopes, and the team's focus is to develop the young talent already on the team and supplement the future with high school talent.
After only signing one freshman in last fall’s signing period, the Buffs have made a larger splash in 2024. Audrey Asleson, Inés Losada Gordaliza, and Olivia Grenadier are among the first group of newcomers for the ‘25-’26 season.
Asleson, a two-star setter according to PrepVolleyball, attends Benet Academy and plays for Sports Performance, one of the top volleyball clubs in Illinois. She finished her high school career with over 1,000 assists and was named an AAU All-American this year.
“Asleson has all the tools to be an elite collegiate setter," head coach Jesse Mahoney told CUBuffs.com. "She is long and athletic – as one of the most physical setters in the class she plays big at the net as a blocker and has the mentality to score as an attacker as well.”
Gordaliza, a Spanish outside hitter who is a member of the Spanish national team, becomes the third foreign national on the Buffs volleyball team, joining Ana Burilović (Croatia) and Maria Spławska (Poland). Along with her international experience, she also has a long history of club-level success at Club Voleibol Zalaeta, Olímpico de Canarias, and Emeve de Lugo. She was named MVP in the Galician Championship twice and was Junior Spanish Champion in 2024.
Joining an already young roster with plenty of room for competition, it is expected that she will hit the ground running in Boulder.
“With her experience competing at the highest levels in Spain as well as representing her country at the international level, we believe Gordaliza will transition well and excel in the collegiate game," Mahoney said of her.
Grenadier, a middle blocker from Bloomfield, Michigan, is a three-time PrepVolleyball All-American. With four years of varsity experience, the school record for career kills at Detroit County Day, and a regional championship victory (2021) under her belt, she is highly decorated and expected to be a force in the years to come for Colorado.
“What really sets Grenadier apart is her work ethic - she has a motor, and it is always going. Her ability to be available and score, especially in transition, is what most excites our staff," Mahoney said.
The Buffs are still actively recruiting for the Spring ‘25 cycle. The mass exodus of top-level talent to graduation following last season has left the team on the back foot in 2024, and it appears that setting up a high-level foundation is a major focus for the staff.